Smoothfaced/
Sandfaced

Perhaps, the best known and most widely used natural colour produced from Etruria Marl. Ideal for matching and repairs, with their subtle shade variations, the traditional red Smoothfaced single camber clay roof tile is widely used throughout areas where clay tiles are established and appreciated for its rich red colour. Red Sandfaced tiles give a softer appearance and are chosen more frequently in the South.

Case Studies

Red and Staffordshire Blue Plain Clay Roof Tiles

For this £4.7 million restoration, co-funded by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, Project architects Rodney Melville & Partners, of Bristol, were tasked with the specification of clay plain roof tiles to recreate the elaborate diaper pattern of Tyntesfield’s pitched roof, which comprised 65,000 red and blue/black roof tiles. The main task therefore was to colour match the original tiles with ‘like for like’ replacement tiles. Dreadnought provided the best match to the originals. Full Details>>

Technical Info

Dreadnought Tiles conform to BS EN 1304:2013 and should be fixed in accordance with BS 5534 "Slating and Tiling" part 1 & 2 and BS 8000 Part 6.Freeze Thaw Standards require plain clay tiles for use in the U.K. to withstand at least 150 freeze / thaw cycles under method E of European Standard EN 539-2:2013. At Dreadnought Tiles we regard this as too low for our climate and we therefore test our tiles to withstand in excess of 400 cycles.

Environmental Info

Place of Manufacture: Brierley Hill, UK
Environmental Management: ISO 14001 Download Certificate >>
Quality Management: ISO 9001 Download Certificate >>
Life Cycle: BRE 'A+' rating
Freeze Thaw Testing to in excess of 400 cycles Download Freeze Thaw Test Certificate >>
Energy: Fired in gas kilns to 1130 degrees
Raw materials: Etruria Marl Clay from our local quarry in Brierley Hill, sand
Lifespan: > 60 years. Second hand tiles that have been on roofs in excess of 100 years often sell for more than new tiles on the 2nd hand market
Recyclability: Can be crushed and used as aggregate and/or as an inert bulk fill
Packaging: We keep packaging to a minimum using wooden pallets. We do not shrink wrap or use plastic straps.